Louis de Montfort

French Catholic priest and saint (1673–1716) SaintLouis-Marie Grignion de MontfortSMMConfessorBorn(1673-01-31)31 January 1673Montfort-sur-Meu, FranceDied28 April 1716(1716-04-28) (aged 43)Saint-Laurent-sur-SèvreVenerated inCatholic ChurchBeatified1888 by Pope Leo XIIICanonized20 July 1947 by Pope Pius XIIFeast28 AprilPatronagePreachers; those devoted to the Virgin Mary and the rosary Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, SMM (French pronunciation: [lwi maʁi ɡʁiɲɔ̃ də mɔ̃fɔʁ]; 31 January 1673 – 28 April 1716) was a French Catholic priest known for his influence on Catholic Mariology. He wrote a number of books that went on to become classic Catholic titles, including Secret of the Rosary and True Devotion to Mary, and influenced several popes. He also founded several religious communities, including the Company of Mary. Pope Pius XII canonised him on 20 July 1947. A "founder's statue" created by Giacomo Parisini is located in an upper niche of the south nave of St. Peter's Basilica. Early years Montfort's birthplace in Montfort-sur-Meu Montfort was born in 1673 in Montfort-sur-Meu, the eldest surviving child of eighteen born to Jean-Baptiste and Jeanne Robert Grignion. H